Lifting Shadows Off A Dream

Even though Steve had never been attracted to omegas, reacting to the scent of their fear was hardwired to the alpha brain. It bypassed almost everything else and forced them to the protective mode, driving them to take care of the distressed individual. So, it was no wonder that when Steve returned from driving Clint, Phil, and Lucky home, he was a mess. He parked the car and then sat there for a good while, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white, and just breathed. 

The acrid smell of Clint’s terror lingered in the closed space and kept him on edge. He felt like a failure. He and Buck had always prided themselves as safe alphas and the fact that Clint’s brother had been able to just walk in and scare Clint rankled. Phil had warned them that something was wrong with Clint and Steve should’ve been more alert. He should’ve been better prepared. Anything could’ve happened! If Lucky hadn’t been there. If Clint hadn’t stood his ground. If Barney had brought a gun.

Barney.

Steve’s lip curled and a low growl emanated from his chest. Even though Clint wasn’t his omega, he was a dear friend. He’d been through so much, had been hurt so many ways by so many people and yet he persisted. He was a spitfire of an omega and Steve and Buck both had learned to love him like a little brother.

Over the years, Steve and Buck had participated in the neighborhood events, gave out free gym hours for the nearby school, and their flexible hours offered a chance for those who preferred more quiet hours for their training. They’d slowly established a reputation as a safe place for everyone and taking Clint in had only solidified their status as a safe space. 

But now, their safety had been violated.

The passenger door opened, jolting Steve from his thoughts. Buck got in, slammed the door shut behind him, and stared daggers at the console. His face was thunderous and he gritted his teeth so hard Steve could hear it.

”He enjoyed it,” Buck growled after a long silence. ”That sick fuck enjoyed Clint’s fear.” He rubbed his left shoulder with his right hand, a thing he did either when it was freezing cold or when he got lost in his memories of Afghanistan. Steve was pretty sure this time it was the latter.

”We gotta do somethin’, punk,” Buck said. ”We gotta help.”

Steve stifled a sigh. He didn’t disagree per se but he was still hesitant to overstep. Phil was fiercely protective of Clint and he wasn’t sure their offer of help would be appreciated let alone accepted. But he knew his mate. ”Buck—” he started but Buck shut him off with a sharp shake of his head.

”Not this time,” he said in a growl. ”I know what you think and I know we’re not his alphas but…” He turned to look at Steve with intense eyes that burned with desperation Steve hadn’t seen in a very long time. ”Steve, I— back there, I couldn’t help them. All I could do was to watch and I won’t do it this time. I can’t not help when I know I can.” His hand snatched up to grip Steve’s wrist in a bruising hold but to Steve’s shock, his hand was shaking.

Buck didn’t shake. Despite everything he’d been through, despite everything done to him, despite his PTSD and nightmares, he didn’t shake. He gritted his teeth and pushed through; stubborn and unwavering and refusing to give up.

Buck didn’t shake for himself. But for Clint…it was a different story altogether.

And that was something Steve couldn’t ignore.

He gave Buck a hard look, pressed his lips together in a thin line, and let out a long billow of air through his nose. ”Fine,” he finally said. ”You’re his fairy godmother after all. But you’re the one calling Phil.”

When Buck decided to do something, he followed through and now, he was a man on a mission. So, while Steve knew to expect something to happen with Phil, he absolutely didn’t expect to see Phil sitting at their kitchen table and the Director of SHIELD Securities standing by the wall, calmly reading through an info leaflet about the origin of the gym.

The Howler was named after Steve’s last unit, the Howling Commandoes who had adopted the name from old Captain America comics. They had thought it was fitting but, unlike in the comics, this unit hadn’t made it out unscathed—only Steve and Sam had made it out alive. There were no heroics, no getting their injured comrades back from behind the enemy lines, no superhuman skills or unnatural healing abilities. Just a pair of men who had been to hell and back and just wanted to try to learn to live again. But Steve had wanted to do something to honor his unit’s memory and when they’d finally settled on a place of their own, Steve had decided on the name. Buck had snorted coffee through his nose when he’d learned the tale but he’d loved the idea anyway. 

Nick Fury didn’t seem amused. He slipped the leaflet into his leather coat pocket and regarded Steve with an unreadable expression.

”Steve,” Phil said and nodded. Nick Fury said nothing.

Buck was slouched in his chair but his fingers drummed the tabletop with a nervous rhythm, tap-tap-tapping away the kind of staccato that told Steve he was almost vibrating out of his skin. Carefully, Steve set the grocery bag on the kitchen counter behind Buck, then turned around and said, ”So.”

Phil and Fury shared a look and after receiving an almost imperceptible nod from Phil, Fury said, ”Charles ’Barney’ Barton, 34, beta, older brother of one Clint Barton. Previously linked to various petty crimes, has recently taken interesting in bigger fish. Namely, omega trafficking.”

Steve opened and closed his mouth a couple of times and sat heavily down beside Buck. ”Shit,” he said softly.

Buck didn’t say anything but his eyes were dark with the promise of brutal violence while his fingers kept on tapping. On the other side of the table, Phil’s lips were thinned but he had his anger under control under the familiar, mild mask Steve had seen before.

”I wasn’t aware SHIELD Security’s jurisdiction ran as far as catching criminals,” Steve said.

Fury gave him a long look. ”Don’t pretend you’re that stupid,” he barked, blunt as ever. ”You know perfectly well how much need a security firm has for former black ops specialists. And before you ask: I actually have the fucking clearance.” He raised his brow. ”Anything else, Captain?”

The use of his old rank made a shiver run down Steve’s spine and he shook his head.

”Good,” Fury said. ”What little we’ve been able to gather about Clint’s former…employer, he was obsessed with Clint, most likely because of both his gender and archery skills. He has connections to certain religious and fascist extremist groups and to several organized crime syndicates. We’re yet to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

”It seems that Barney has been searching for his brother for some time now,” Phil said. ”The details are still unclear but we strongly suspect he’d be granted access to the inner circle if he returned Clint to his former master.” His voice stayed level but his alpha side was furiously rippling just under the surface.

Not for the first time, Steve wondered just who Phil actually was. From his past dealings with Fury, Steve had learned that Phil was an extremely competent and highly respected Ranger but nothing more (like being a Ranger wasn’t enough itself). Now, though, he wondered how he’d ever thought Phil wasn’t more: under the mild-mannered, slightly submissive alpha veneer hid raw power and iron-clad control, ready to be unleashed upon those who deserved his wrath.

His thoughts screeched to halt when Phil turned his head just a fraction and gave Steve a piercing look and while Steve wasn’t easily cowed, he knew when he was in the presence of his superior. He tilted his head slightly, subtly baring his throat, and asked, ”What do you need from us?”

The plan was actually pretty simple: from Barney’s police rep, they knew he wasn’t exactly stable, and the easiest way to catch him was to wait. On top of his regular GPS tracker, Clint would have an escort at all times and a team on standby around the clock. And he’d be monitored.

”I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to him about it,” Phil said.

That was clearly a surprise to Fury. His brows shot up and he asked, ”Really?”

Steve had been about to ask the very same thing but he wasn’t ashamed to admit he was relieved when Phil’s cold stare was directed at Fury and not him.

”Yes. It’s not something he needs to know.”

”But… he’s your omega, surely—” Buck started.

”Don’t pretend to know better what my omega needs or doesn’t need to know,” Phil snarled, his control slipping for a moment. He closed his eyes, visibly reining himself in, and took a couple of steadying breaths. ”I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” he apologized. ”I know how much you care about him, both of you. 

”His story isn’t mine to tell but I can reveal this much. They used to film him being tortured and—” He clenched his jaw and shook his head. ”To him, cameras aren’t safe. He’s already scared and paranoid, I don’t want to stress him more unless I absolutely have to. I’ll deal with it.” He gave Steve and Buck a sharp look. ”To make this absolutely clear: the video surveillance isn’t for us to watch. Stark has programmed his AI to it and it will raise an alarm if the need arises—”

”Stark?” Buck interrupted. ”The Tony Stark?”

Phil nodded. ”The very same. He is a valuable asset and despite our disagreements, we have a common enemy.”

Steve nodded slowly while his thoughts raced. ”I have to admit it does make me feel better. I wouldn’t have been comfortable with breaching your mate’s privacy.”

A ghost of a smile flitted across Phil’s lips. ”I appreciate that, Steve.”

Fury sighed. ”I don’t like it but it’s your ass on the line. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

”I’m protecting my mate,” Phil said in a low voice.

”Yeah, well. Let’s hope he feels the same when he finds out.”

In the following weeks, they lived in a low thrum of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Clint was subdued and on edge and the ever-present escort clearly bothered him. Steve wasn’t sure if it was because it was a constant reminder of the low-hanging sword or because of Clint’s deep-rooted issues of not causing any unnecessary fuss. The alphas were discreet and professional and tried to stay out of the way but they couldn’t exactly make themselves invisible.

For their part, Steve and Buck tried to make things as easy for Clint as they could. They couldn’t help feeling protective and on guard because Barney had violated their space, after all, but Clint seemed to understand it even though he kept on claiming they didn’t need to bother for him.

”For fuck’s sake, get your head out of your ass, you turnip!” Steve heard Buck growl one day. ”You and that half-blind dog of yours are family and we protect our family, get it?” He didn’t hear Clint’s muffled answer but he heard Buck’s rough, ”You’re damn right we do,” and a couple of manly slaps on the back and figured things were mostly sorted out.

They all knew there was no legal action Barney could do: Clint was a mated omega in a healthy and secure relationship and any familial claims were on Phil’s side. But they all agreed that Barney wasn’t exactly on his right mind and wouldn’t let something as trivial as the law to stop him. And if Fury’s assessment was even halfway accurate, they could prepare for anything.

None of that made Steve comfortable with the situation, though. He had a deep distaste for deceit and he didn’t like one bit that Clint was being monitored without his knowledge. Buck was more at ease with it but he also was more driven and clearly had a stronger emotional investment on the whole plan than Steve. In a way, he was happy: there still were things in Buck’s past he didn’t want to share and the pain hiding in his eyes was almost a constant companion. Not now, though, because Buck was a man on a mission and it gave him an edge of grim determination, a focus, and a goal.

To keep his loved ones safe.

They were getting coffee and Portuguese pastries at a local hole-in-the-wall when their phones gave out a shrill alarm. They checked the screens more out of habit than actual need—it was Stark’s AI and it could only mean one thing: Clint was in trouble. Buck was out of the door in a flash and Steve offered hurried apologies to the thick Friday crowd gaping at them before running after his mate. It took them barely five minutes to arrive at Phil and Clint’s but in his worried mind, it seemed like forever. 

The scene they arrived to was chaos: Barney was dangling on a SHIELD team’s hold and screaming obscenities at a white-faced, dazed-looking Clint. Fury was holding back Phil, whose eyes were puffed angry red from what Steve guessed was pepper spray but who still was snarling at Barney, ready to go another round. Steve shared a quick look with Buck and with a silent agreement, Buck hurried to Clint and Steve went to help Phil. 

”Stand down, Phil, it’s over,” he said in a low voice and started leading him to the bathroom to clean up. ”You did good. Clint’s okay.” From behind him, he heard Fury growl, ”Motherfucker, shut the fuck up already,” and Barney went blessedly silent.

Phil was nearly vibrating with nerves and pent-up worry but he obeyed Steve’s calm instructions, washed his face and rinsed his eyes (there wasn’t much to be done about the irritation but to wait) and changed into a used shirt that smelled so strongly of Phil and Clint’s combined scent that it made Steve’s nose itch. As soon as he was done, he hurried back to Clint and gathered him in his arms, completely ignoring Buck and Steve.

The SHIELD Security team was long gone and Buck and Steve didn’t want to intrude any longer than was absolutely necessary. They cleared up the mess of pizza boxes, spray cans, and ripped fabric from the floor, aired out the apartment, filled Lucky’s water bowl and poured him some kibble, and left with a soft goodbye that went unnoticed.

”You okay, Buck?” Steve asked when they started walking home. He only got a grunt in reply and the tense line of his shoulders told Steve exactly how okay Buck was. So, when they got home and he closed the door behind him, he wasn’t even a bit surprised by Buck slamming him against the door and staring at him for a moment with furious eyes before he attacked his mouth. Steve started kissing him back which Buck allowed for a split second, only to push Steve flat against the door with his forearm.

Message received.

Steve went completely relaxed in his hold and tilted his head back in submission. Sometimes, Buck needed to feel totally in control, so, when he finally let Steve come up for air and grabbed him from the nape, Steve followed his lead, easy and trusting. There was a storm brewing in Buck’s eyes when he ripped Steve’s clothes from him, barely contained aggression in his touch when he spread lube on himself and pushed in. Steve reveled in the sting, forcing his body to open up and let his mate in, more than happy to be the warm, safe place Buck could lose himself into. He wasn’t surprised when Buck shoved his hand away from his cock and gripped it with his lubed hand, nor was he surprised to feel the knot catching his rim when Buck neared his orgasm.

It was rough and fast and quickly over but when Buck finally slumped on top of him, his scent was clear and the tension gone. Later, Steve would have the chance to make love to him slowly and reduce him into a sobbing mess with tender touches and loving words that had no place at this moment.

This moment was for them to feel alive, together.

”They used to call ’em that,” Buck whispered hoarsely. His profile was barely visible in the dark bedroom but Steve didn’t need to see him to know what he was talking about.

”Cunts, whores, fuckholes. Some of them were barely old enough to know what was happening other than they were taken from their parents.” He drew in a shuddering breath and curled in on himself. ”They liked to torture them in front of us, got a kick out of how we tried to protect them. Some of us…” His voice trailed away and he stayed silent for a minute before continuing, ”I killed three of them after they raped an omega right in front of me. The kid kept crying out for his ma the whole time until he bled to death. They cut off my arm after that.”

Steve swallowed, his whole being aching to comfort his mate. Sometimes, Buck welcomed his touch but sometimes he was so wrapped up in his memories that Steve’s touch triggered a violent reaction. Now, Steve needed to do something so he softly asked, ”Can I touch you?”

Buck didn’t say anything, just turned around and burrowed himself against Steve’s side, laying his head on Steve’s chest. He liked it there, listening to Steve’s heartbeat.

”They liked breaking things,” Buck murmured. ”Enjoyed making people bleed and cry out. Never figured out what they wanted other than bask in the fear of people who couldn’t defend themselves.

”If it wasn’t for her—”

Steve forced himself not to react. Buck had mentioned a her in passing a couple of times but he’d never talked about her. All Steve knew her name was Natalia, and that’s only because Buck had called out for her during some of his nightmares after he’d come back. So, he stayed silent and kept on brushing his fingers through Buck’s hair.

”I don’t know who she was or where she came from. There was something…different in her scent. They caught her after my arm was cut off and when they threw her into my cell, I thought she was a hallucination. Flaming red hair, naked, covered in blood.

”I guess they thought she’d die after what they did to her. They were wrong.

”We couldn’t save anyone but we sure as fuck made sure they couldn’t hurt anyone ever again.”

Buck fell silent again, his breathing even and soft against Steve’s chest. 

There were so many things Steve wished he could do or say but all he managed was a kiss on top of Buck’s head. When he’d gotten the letter that his mate had been captured at a remote area of Afghanistan been so sure he’d lost Buck for good. The clan waging a guerrilla war in the area was a pariah clan everyone was afraid of, notorious of its violence and abuse of power. So, when Buck finally came back, scarred in body and soul, it was a miracle he didn’t want to question.

”She was a real special girl, Stevie,” Buck said, his voice heavy with sleep. ”Real special.”

Knowing what little he knew, Steve wholeheartedly agreed.

It took Clint almost a week to come back to The Howler and when he did, a weight Steve hadn’t known he’d been carrying fell off his shoulders. The omega was almost his usual, snarky self but there was a strain there, a delicate crack on his facade Steve wasn’t sure he’d seen before. Nevertheless, he greeted Clint as usual, offered him a cup of coffee, shared his sandwich with Lucky, and watched Buck and Clint train. Something was amiss but until Clint himself brought it up, Steve didn’t pressure him.

Buck didn’t have the same patience or delicate touch, though. Two days later, Steve came back from taking out the trash to a screaming match he wished he didn’t need to witness but that he knew was a long time coming.

”—stupid macho alpha bullshit!” Clint yelled as loud as his broken voice allowed.

”Right, like you’re one to talk, you limp celery,” Buck growled. ”Just because you’ve somehow managed to keep yourself alive before doesn’t mean you have to make it alone anymore.”

”I know that!”

”Seems to me you don’t!” Buck yelled and threw his arm up, gripping his hair in frustration. ”Fuck this, double chocolate banana bread. Why can’t you just understand why?”

”Because he filmed me without my consent,” Clint rasped. There was a tense moment of silence and then, ”You knew!”

Oh, shit, Steve thought. 

He steeled himself and entered the office. Clint was standing by the far wall, a betrayed and furious look on his face, hugging himself like he was cold. On the other side of the room, Buck was stood like a scolded schoolboy, a stubborn set in his jaw. Lucky was snoring on the couch, happily unaware of the mixed scents of hurt, betrayal, and anger in the room.

”We both knew,” Steve said quietly. ”Phil asked us not to tell you.”

Clint gave him an incredulous look before he snarled ”Fuck you both,” and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. 

It took only a moment for Steve to realize Clint had stormed out of the gym and left Lucky behind. ”Shit,” he swore under his breath, snatched Lucky’s leash, and ran after him. When he exited the gym, he didn’t see Clint but trusted Lucky, following his lead. He had barely rounded the corner when he saw Clint enter into a sleek limousine with the license plate of STRK-1.

Well, that should go well.

A couple of hours later, a sheepish Clint reentered the gym. He looked tired and his eyes were dubiously red-rimmed, but his scent was clearer and the anger was mostly gone. Buck met him by the door and asked, ”First things first: does Phil know you’re here?”

Clint shrugged. ”Yeah. He doesn’t like it but so what?”

Buck frowned and opened his mouth but Clint interrupted him, jabbing a finger at his chest. ”Don’t start. Don’t wanna hear it.”

Steve shook his head and decided to step in. ”We’re about to close the place up. Do you want to come up for some hot chocolate?”

Something in Clint relaxed and he nodded. Over his head, Steve shared a worried glance with Buck. If Clint didn’t want to go home, something was really wrong. From the moment he’d first met Clint, the omega had been secure with Phil, instinctually trusting the alpha to keep him safe. But if he didn’t trust Phil anymore…

He prepared the chocolate with perhaps more care it probably needed, added some whipped cream from the can, and doused the whole thing with cinnamon. It was over the top but Clint’s pleased smile was worth it.

”So, how’s Tony Stark?” Steve asked when Clint had settled on the couch, content with his hot chocolate and thick whipped cream mustache. ”Yeah, I saw you entering his limo.”

”Was it ridiculously extra from the inside?” Buck asked with an interested gleam in his eyes. ”Gold-plated seats, ermine fur headrests, and a crystal chandelier?”

”No,” Clint snorted and rolled his eyes. ”I was just a car. A really comfy car but…a car.”

”’Just a car,’ he says,” Buck muttered. ”After being in The Tony Stark’s limo.”

Clint shoved him a bit with his shoe and the two picked up their bickering like nothing had happened. It went on for a moment and only after both Clint and Buck had whipped cream in their hair, nose, and under their shirts and Steve had called the whole thing quits, they settled down with a more somber air.

”So. Tony Stark,” Steve said quietly.

”Yeah…” Clint muttered. ”The surveillance system shit was actually his?” He looked up at the alphas, a slightly lost look in his eyes.

Steve nodded. ”Phil said as much. And I gotta say, Clint, that’s pretty much the only reason I went through with the whole thing. I told Phil I wasn’t that happy about monitoring you without your consent but he said it was a Stark system and monitored by his AI.”

Clint winced and bit his lip, then opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he whispered, hesitant, ”About that…I might have said some…nasty things to Phil.”

Buck leaned forward and patted him on the knee. ”I’m sure he understands, brioche bun. That alpha is so gone on you it’s almost disgusting.”

When Clint didn’t answer, Steve cocked his head. ”Clint?” He asked, touching his shoulder gently, not liking the way Clint twitched at the touch.

”I—back in the circus…” Clint swallowed, a pained look on his face. ”He filmed me while he—and with the others and then he showed—to others and to Barney and—not just then, but also when I was alone—and all the people—to—and I told Phil he was just like—I told him, I told—” His voice got more and more frantic, the hoarse whispering tearing through his scarred throat in violent bursts. 

From the floor, Lucky let out a whine and Buck hurried to shift to the side to give him space to jump on the couch beside Clint. Lucky whined again and nudged his nose under Clint’s jaw and he curled into him, buried his face against Lucky’s soft fur, and started to cry. 

It broke Steve’s heart to see him so desolate, and without a second thought, he sat on the armrest and curled his arm loosely around the omega.

”It’s okay, Clint,” he said. ”Phil knows you and he loves you. He might feel hurt but he knows you didn’t mean it like that.” 

It only made Clint cry harder and Steve shared a helpless look with Buck.

”You better call his alpha and let him know he’s here,” Buck grumbled. ”I’ll keep him company.”

Steve nodded and they switched places so that Buck was sitting behind Clint and rubbing his back. With a heavy heart, Steve walked into the bedroom to make the call. He wasn’t looking forward to it but it had to be made. 

Phil answered right away.

”Steve? Is Clint alright?”

”Yeah, he’s here. But Phil… he’s really upset.”

”Did something happen?” When Steve didn’t immediately answer, Phil let out a questioning sound and a moment later a sigh and, ”Oh…that.”

”Yeah.”

”Well, he’s right to be upset,” Phil said matter-of-factly.

Steve blinked and gave the phone a disbelieving look. ”Really?” He asked slowly. That…wasn’t  like Phil at all.

”You sound like you don’t agree with me,” Phil said. ”Which is odd, considering you didn’t want to do it in the first place.”

Steve frowned. ”Phil, what exactly are you talking about?” He asked in a low voice.

”Um…the whole surveillance thing. Wait, what are you talking about?”

Steve sat heavily on the bed and rubbed a hand over his face. ”He told us he’d basically accused you of being like his former—”

”What? No!” Phil exclaimed, his distress clear through the speaker. ”Oh, god, no, of course not. Why—no, never mind. Oh, Clint…”

”He’s in the living room with Lucky. Buck’s trying to calm him down but…”

”I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

”You don’t have to—” Steve started and then realized he was speaking to the dial tone. 

Oh, well.

If watching Clint cry had been uncomfortable, watching Phil tear up was even more so. Steve felt like he was intruding a highly private moment when the omega reunited with his alpha and they ended up cuddling in the couch, faces buried in each other’s necks. The air was thick with shame and regret and Steve could see it was affecting Buck too. 

”Um, guys, we’ll take Lucky out for a walk,” he said, took Lucky’s leash in one hand and Buck’s hand in the other, and dragged them both out of the apartment.

It was a crisp Fall night outside, just the barest hint of rain in the air. They walked at a leisurely pace, letting Lucky sniff around at his heart’s content and do his business unhurried. 

”They’ll be okay,” Buck said after some time. ”Phil’s a good alpha.”

Steve let out an agreeing hum.

”I wonder what Stark said to him?”

Steve shrugged. ”I don’t know. But considering how Clint looked like when he came back, I reckon they have some shared experiences.”

Buck clenched his jaw and shook his head. ”It’s sick, that’s what it is. Sick and twisted.”

Yeah, Steve thought. It was. It never ceased to amaze him how much pain and suffering some people were willing to inflict on others and just how eagerly they abused power entrusted to them. Alphas were supposed to be the protectors but secondary genders and instincts aside, taking care of the weaker and more vulnerable was just common courtesy.

It always boggled his mind how some people were unable to show even basic human decency.

When they got back, Phil and Clint had fallen asleep on the couch, arms and legs tightly entwined, and faces still wet from tears. They looked exhausted and, as Steve spread a quilt over them, looked like they needed the sleep.

He hoped that after all the troubles, they’d be alright.

To Steve’s utmost relief, things slowly started to go back to normal. Clint returned to his regularly scheduled training and bit by bit, regained his usual snark. He still had the days when he was distant but Steve figured it was okay; he had Phil and, surprisingly enough, Tony Stark. The two omegas struck an unlikely pair but something about their personalities just clicked. Stark was able to draw Clint a bit more out of his shell and Clint himself seemed to almost ground Stark. On top of that, Clint also seemed to enjoy Stark’s casual closeness, at least after he got over his bewilderment of how Stark seemed to lose all sense of personal boundaries after he got to know him better.

To the untrained eye, Phil was his usual, unflappable self but Steve knew better. The incident had shaken him more than he probably wanted to admit and he stayed on high alert whenever he was out with Clint. Because Clint did that now, went out. It was probably the combined effort of Stark and Buck who joined forces and cajoled Clint until he agreed on a night out. It had all the ingredients of a major disaster but it went surprisingly smoothly: Clint was nestled away with Phil and Buck on his sides, leaving the front to Steve, Stark, and a selected few of SHIELD Security’s finest. Steve wasn’t sure where Stark knew Sam, Darcy, and Maria but they seemed to get along just fine, enjoying the evening and making sure everyone was feeling just as much or little involved as they wanted.

He knew they weren’t in the clear. People with as many scars and bad memories like them didn’t just bounce back like nothing had happened. No, they took two steps forward and one backward and sometimes they stumbled and fell, but it was part of the process. They would get back up, they would take that another step forward, and they would get better. And if they couldn’t get up themselves, they had their friends to help them along.

Because no matter what, they weren’t alone. And that’s what mattered.